the new garden's blooms
by Dragon Elexus
Summary: "Why don't we try gardening in literally any other place?" With Lapis gone, maybe forever, Peridot works to grow a new life among her friends and teammates on Earth.
1. Pearl

**One: Pearl**

Peridot had only finished collecting all the materials and equipment, which, based on her research, she would need for the production of fertilizer, and was about to start, when Pearl appeared.

"Amethyst and Steven told me about your plan," she said, brisk and straight-to-the-point. "Nitrogen-based fertilizers are explosive, and I thought some assistance may be appreciated to minimize that risk."

Peridot bristled. "Are you suggesting that I might be _sub-optimal_ in my safety precautions?"

"... _No_..." Pearl said, twisting her hands together. "I simply know that you have a... _tendency_ to get carried away, and since your new garden is being planted just above the Temple, I thought it would best if..."

She trailed off.

Peridot scowled, still not appreciating the insinuation. However, Pearl did have a point. Peridot had no desire to cause accidental harm to Steven and the other Crystal Gems. And while she was quite confident that she could perform relatively simple organic chemistry unassisted, she would, admittedly, not mind a little company.

"Very well," Peridot said at last, pulling welding goggles over her protective vision-sphere visor.

Pearl proved to be an accomplished chemist. At this point, it should not have surprised Peridot, yet on some small level, it did.

Peridot shook her head, and made no comment on it.

They worked quickly and efficiently, with little conversation not directly related to the task at hand. Peridot didn't mind. It reminded her a bit of producing meep-morps with Lapis.

That thought caused her some pain, so she quickly turned to another comparison: group work with other Peridots on Homeworld. Those times when everyone had known _exactly_ what their tasks were, and _exactly_ how to perform it, and so there had been no need to discuss it aloud. They had simply gotten to work, a perfectly optimized system, no place for doubt or confusion—

Peridot turned from those thoughts too.

It was not long before they were finished. Peridot and Pearl surveyed the sizeable volume of ammonia they had produced with pride.

"Yes! This is exactly what this garden needs!" Peridot said, looking at the empty bed of soil she had prepared next to the defunct lighthouse. "Much more efficient than collected 'manure'..."

Pearl's face creased with disgust. "Ugh, _yes_. I understand the practicality of using fecal matter, but I could never stand using the stuff myself..."

"You have experience gardening?" Peridot asked.

Pearl smiled. "I've lived on this planet for thousands of years. Of course I do. It was one of Rose's favourite pastimes. I liked to help her out."

There was a fizzing feeling of excitement building in Peridot's core. An experienced gardener! Perhaps she could give some advice! Amethyst and Steven had always been very helpful, of course, but neither of them were particularly _knowledgeable_ on the topics botany or agriculture, and Lapis—

Well. Never mind Lapis.

Pearl laughed when Peridot asked, and said she'd hardly consider herself an expert. But she still listened attentively as Peridot showed her a diagram of where she had planned the various crops to be planted, and made suggestions about which species would do better next to each other. She also had suggestions on the aesthetic virtues of the color combinations of flowers, which Peridot had not previously considered. It was an extremely useful discussion.

Pearl was a very useful Gem.

 _No_ , Peridot thought. That was not the correct phrasing. Pearl was more than her utility.

"I'm sorry," Peridot said, abruptly.

Pearl looked up from the seeds she was examining. "Pardon?"

Peridot shook her head. It would be too difficult to explain her thought processes. Too many times, when she tried, things would just come out _wrong_.

She did not want that. So she took her time, carefully organizing the words in her head. At length, she said, "I would like to apologize for ways I treated you in the past. I did not provide any at the time, but I see now that some of my actions towards you were... incorrect."

Pearl stared at her, brow furrowed in confusion... and then her expression relaxed, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"Ah, well." She waved a hand. "Thank you, Peridot. I appreciate it. But don't worry. I know how difficult overcoming certain Homeworld ideas can be."

There seemed to be nothing to say to that, so Peridot simply nodded, relieved.

They did a little more work on the garden, still in that same focused silence from before. Peridot distributed the fertilizer and Pearl watered the crops which were already planted. Once she was done, she announced that she would need to return to the Temple to do Steven's laundry. Peridot could have continued working, and would have enjoyed that. But based on her studies in reciprocity, she thought it may be advisable to 'return the favour' Pearl had given.

Pearl accepted, and they walked down the hill to the beach together.

"Wow, thanks," Peridot said in a quiet voice, "for assisting me."

"I know you didn't really need it," Pearl admitted. "I just... thought you might like some company."

Peridot glanced at her sidelong, and then glanced down at the ground, watching her own feet.

"I know what it's like." Pearl's voice was very soft. "When someone you care about... leaves."

"You are talking about Steven's 'mother', Rose Quartz?" Peridot inquired, seeking only to ensure clarity before the conversation continued forward.

Pearl sighed. "Yes."

Peridot nodded. In her time among the Crystal Gems, she had noticed that there was a degree of tension surrounding the transformation the rebels' previous leader had undergone. Peridot did not fully understand it. While she had never met Rose Quartz, and therefore had no basis of comparison, she thought that Steven seemed like more than an adequate trade.

She suspected that it would not be a good thing to say as much. Instead, she asked, in an even quieter voice, "... does it get easier?"

Pearl stopped. Stared out at the ocean. Waited quite some time before answering.

"Yes," she said. "Sometimes it... gets harder, too. But overall— Yes."

Peridot nodded. It was as satisfactory an answer as she was likely to get.

oOo

 **Author's Note:** My Secret Santa gift for FourFaces! You had a lot of interesting prompts, and I challenged myself to try and hit as many different character dynamics you requested as possible. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you have an awesome 2018!


	2. Shorty Squad

**Two: Shorty Squad**

Peridot paced.

She knew it was illogical and objectively irrational, but she felt as if there was something bubbling inside of her. Fizzy, like those 'sodas' Steven enjoyed drinking, and Amethyst enjoyed shaking so that they would explode in his face. Peridot recognized this bubbling sensation as 'nervousness', and considered just how much she detested the feeling.

"So?" she demanded, turning to her friends. " _Tell me what you think!_ "

Steven and Amethyst pulled the items out of the box Peridot had carefully wrapped.

"They're yo-yos?" Steven asked, as Amethyst pulled experimentally on a string.

Smiles were spreading across both of their faces. The fizzling nervousness gave way immediately to relief.

"YES!" Peridot cried. "I had promised to make one for you both a significant time ago, but I became... distracted with other projects, but also determined to make it as high quality as possible! I grew concerned you would not want them so late!

"I utilized the developmental delay to implement a number of exciting features, however! These yo-yos' small size and lack of blunt-force is compensated by greater versatility and speed! I have installed control panels in the handles that allow the user to activate a number of different functionalities. The first button triggers sharp blades to emerge, the second administers an electric shock, and the third activates an immediate high-velocity recoil!

"Additionally, they have many aesthetically pleasing features! They are in pink and purple— your favourite colors, naturally. For the third, I considered using a flame pattern, since in Steven's words, they paradoxically 'just make everything cooler', but I did not know Amethyst's opinion on the design. Instead, I settled on a color I _knew_ you both would appreciate: green! A marker of your best friend, me! If I you enjoy them, then on the next model, perhaps I can incorporate flames—"

Peridot was cut off, knocked back by a sudden purple explosion.

She had not had time to reorient herself before she was lifted in the air. There was a surge of panic until she realized she had been lifted into a giant, three-armed hug from Smoky Quartz.

The sensation was surprisingly, but not altogether unpleasant, or even unfamiliar.

"I _love_ them, Dot!" the fusion cried. "Best yo-yo ever!" Smoky smirked. "Well, _second_ best. Hard to beat my own."

"Yes, well." Peridot tried to puff out her chest. "We would need to perform some empirical testing to verify such a claim."

"Oh, like a competition?" Smoky Quartz laughed. They dropped Peridot to the ground. With a flash of light, they were holding four yo-yos: their own summoned one, and Peridot's three gifts. "You are _on_."


	3. Connie

**Chapter Three: Connie**

While Peridot was, of course, an expert on a wide variety of subjects, from warp pad maintenance to gardening, she did not consider herself particularly knowledgeable in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics. It simply was not an area in which Peridots were traditionally trained.

However, in comparison with humans, whose collective research into space consisted mainly of looking at stars and throwing fragile metal drones into their solar system, she was the foremost expert on the entire planet.

It was with this in mind, when she overheard Connie explaining to Steven about an upcoming presentation she would be giving in her 'science class' about star classifications, that Peridot generously offered her time and expertise in assisting the girl by attending her presentation.

The human had seemed doubtful, perhaps intimidated by Peridot's sheer knowledge and intelligence.

But Steven had encouraged her, and so it had not taken long for Connie to relent. "Okay... Sure. My teachers _do_ say it's always good to have first-hand experience."

Peridot had first-hand experience in spades!

(She also had a number of actual spades, which she brought to the class to demonstrate the choreographed levitation routine she had produced.)

Peridot (with some assistance from Connie) had given an excellent, comprehensive explanation of star types, proving definitively why the classification system humans were using was unsophisticated, while informing them of the system utilized by Gem kind. By the time she was finished, both the students' and the teacher's eyes were wide from the sheer volume of information they had been provided with. They had given applause, a human method of showing how impressed and grateful they were.

"Thank you, uh, Peridot," the teacher had said, stammering from how awed she was. "For that... illuminating presentation.'

Connie had been thankful for her assistance as well, and eager to make sure Peridot would get home safely. Peridot had reassured her not to worry: Steven would be picking her up after school.

" _After school_?" Connie had repeated.

"Yes." Peridot had nodded. "I have decided this is an excellent opportunity to immerse myself in Earth cultures."

And it was.

'Art class' had been an exciting opportunity to explore and heighten new creative skills, despite the incorrect terminology. Peridot was glad that human youth were given the chance to create their own meep morps. 'Physical Education', Peridot had been significantly less appreciative of: 'dodge ball' was a terrifying sport that Peridot did not appreciate being subjected to. She was, however, deeply impressed by Connie's speed and agility, and cheered loudly with every opponent she eliminated.

Then it was 'Biology', where they would be learning about reproduction. Peridot had been particularly excited to share and expand her knowledge on agriculture.

Connie just shook her head.

"No, no," the biology teacher said when Peridot inquired. "We're not looking at plants this semester. We're learning about human reproduction."

"There's a difference?" said Peridot.

Laughter erupted around the room. Connie dropped her head onto the desk. It looked potentially painful.

The basic premise was not so different from plants, after all. There were still male and female gametes, that had to combine with a complementary genetic set to maximize genetic diversity. The difference was in how these gametes were disseminated. Plants, which were immobile, had to rely on wind or animals to function as pollinators. Humans could pollinate one another.

Peridot recalled a passing comment Steven had made to her, back when their alliance had still been newly formed, and she had been ignoring approximately 60% of all the things he'd told her. She leaned towards Connie and asked, "Is this what Steven referred to as 'the Ballad of Greg and Rose Quartz'?"

"The Ballad— No!" Connie shook her head. "No! Or— maybe, kinda. I— We don't talk during class!"

Peridot went quiet. She was still learning human social norms. She could ask Steven later.

For the remainder of the class, she took careful mental notes. The process was fascinating. However, she thought she preferred plants' methodology. It seemed more straightforward.

The day ended with the ringing of a loud bell. Connie showed off her impressive strength by practically carrying Peridot out of the building.

"Hey guys!" Steven called, waving at them from atop of Lion. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes! It was a fascinating experience!"

"It was... something," said Connie.

Peridot smiled. "Yes. That is a factual statement."

Connie stared at her for a moment, and then snorted.

"Aliens," she said, and helped Peridot up onto Lion's back.


	4. Garnet

**Part Four: Garnet**

While Peridot had always known it was possible, when she finally witnessed it, she was unprepared.

A bolt of lightning hit Garnet in the back, mid-leap, and tore her apart.

It was nearly instantaneous, and yet Peridot somehow could still see her pained grimace, her terror. Could see the exact way the fusion's body deteriorated.

It was disgusting.

Garnet had been high, high in the air, and immediately her two gems began to plummet.

None of her opponents noticed, or even cared. They'd had little respect for the fusion, and even less now. They paid no mind to the little ruby and sapphire who would soon be shattered on the ground far below.

Neither did they pay any attention to the little Peridot, rushing down after the falling gemstones on a floating disk of metal. She was only a technician, after all. What could she accomplish?

Peridot would have laughed at the clods, if she hadn't been so terrified.

The gems were falling so fast— they were so small— she might not be able to catch them before—

But she did!

Of course she did! She was _Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG_! She was amazing!

Her triumph was short lived when a laser blasted next to her, dangerously close. Peridot's jaw clenched. Holding her fellow Crystal Gems close to the chest, she took over, weaving in and out, faster and faster, evading every attack.

Occasionally she shot back— knocking a weapon out of a foe's hand with metallic debris, or else plunging it into their body— but that was secondary. Her main objective was to remain free long enough for her teammates ( _friends_ ) to regenerate—

This was heralded by a burning red light, sudden enough that Peridot nearly dropped the gems in surprise.

She regained her composure quickly, and managed to find shelter behind a large fallen column. The second gem had began glowing blue, as if she could sense her partner returning, and was rushing to join her. When Ruby's body formed, Sapphire's appeared only moments after. Peridot cheered, laughing gleefully at the sight.

She had done it!

The pair blinked, getting their bearings. When they understood where they were— who they were with— that they were safe, but there was a battle still to be fought—

A flash of light, and Garnet was there. Whole and safe and cracking her knuckles.

Peridot could not express in words how reassuring it was to have the fusion back.

Garnet grinned at her. She said, "Thank you."

Peridot grinned right back.

The fight proper was far, far above their heads. Peridot stepped back onto her metal disc, and hovered up to match Garnet's height. She held out a hand. The fusion took it.

"Together," Garnet said.

They had more friends to save.

 **oOo**

 **Author's Note:** And we're done! Thanks for joining me, I hope you enjoyed it :)


End file.
